Hinge joint for convertible roadster sections



' May s, 1923. 1,454,784

vB. V. GILMORE HINGE JOINT FOR yCONVERTIBLE ROADSTER SECTION May s, 1923.

B. V. GILMORE HINGE JOINT FOR CONVERTIBLE ROADSTER sEcTIoNs f Filed March 29, 1921 2 Sheets-Sh'eet 2l w www? Patented may s, i923'.

BENJAMIN v. GILMORE, or saunier meinen, WEST vrnsrlvrn, As'srGNon To JOHNW.

GRAHAM, JAMES A. GRAHAM, VIRGINIA. i

yann Winnaar s rncn, am, or HrNroN, WEST HINGE JOINT FOR CONVERTIBLE ROADSTER SECTIONS.

Application ined varen 2e,V 1921. semi 1rof45a5e5. y

To all whomr t may concern.'

Be it known that I, BENJAMiN V. Gin- MoRn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Gauley Bridge, in the county of Fayette and State of West Virginia, have 1nventedcertain new and useful Improvements inl Hinge Joints for Convertible Roadster Sections, of which the following is a specication. n

v This invention relates to hinge joints for convertible roadster sections and has as its general object to provide a hinge joint especially useful in a structure such asillustrated 'andl described in my. Patent No. 1363405, Deo. 28,1920.

i More specically, the invention has as its object to providea hinge joint which will be exceptionally 'strong` and durable and which will relieve the sideboards of the convertible sections of strain, .to ay great extent, and' which will more securelyand lirmlysupport and' retain the sect-ions in their different positions ofy adjustment. l l v Anotherobject of the invention is to so construct the joint that it will constitute a means for positively limiting the movement of the sections which it connects so that the sections when adjusted to one position or another will be causedy to assume a correct relation to each other, that is to say in properly aligned or in properly folded relation.

In the `accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 isa side elevation ofv a convertible roadster in the construction of which the hinge embodying the invention is employed;

vFigure 2 is a detail horizontal sectional view through the hinge joint;

Figure 3 is a perspective view illustrating tWo of the sections which are to be connected by the joint and upon which the members of the joint are secured;

Figure 4 is a detail vertical transverse sectional view taken axially through the joint;

Figure 5 is a side elevation of one of the sections of the joint, the other section being shown in dotted lines and one element thereof 'in vertical section.

In the drawings the numeral 1 indicates in general the body of a Ford runabout and 2 the rear portion of the chassis frame from which the ordinary tonneau has been removed, The convertible tonneau forming the subject matter of., my above-mentioned co-pending application andfwhich isillustrated inl general in Figure 1 ofthe present drawings, comprises a relatively fiXedfbody section which is indicated in general by the numeral 3 and whichconsists of a bottom or floor t'which is bolted or otherwise secured leo y to the said portion 2 of the'cha'ssis frame@` 6 and which is to constitute vva portion of thel rear part of the truck body when Athe ,tonneau as a wholefis so converted, and this sec-` tion comprises lsides which are,indicated by the numeral 7 and a'bottom whichis indi,-

cated -by the numeral 8. It willbe notedv l reference to the drawings, thatvthe `vhinge 4joint, embodying the present invention'is designed to lconnect the ends of the sides 5 land 7 of the sections 3 and yGlof theconvertible tonneau so that the section 6 may be' swung forwardly to a folded positionas illustrated in dotted lines in Figure l of the ldrawings or rearwardly to extend in alignment with the section 3 and thus constitute the rear end of a truckbody. t 'f "j IOnemember ofthe hinge jointffof ythe inventionis secured tothe inner face of each side 5 of the section 3 of the tonneau` and is indicated in general, by the numeral 9, and

this member comprisesv a lcircular flat-sided plate 10 secured by screws or other' suitable fastening elements 11 tol the said faceof .the

respective side 5, as best shown in Figures 2, 3 anda of thedrawings. Thesaid plate y10 is providedfcentrally wit-han opening 12 which is inregistration with` an opening 18 formed inthe said side 5, and these openings receive' the shank of abolt 14CV which constitutes the pintle of the hingejoint. At this point it may be stated that if desired instead of providing a bolt 14, the plate 10 may be formed centrally upon its inner face with an inwardly projecting threaded stud, although the bolt is to bepreferred'as it may be readily replaced should it become broken. For a purposey to bepresently described, t-he said plate 10 is formed upon its inner face lnear its periphery with an inwardlyprojecting relatively short stud indicated by the numeral 15.

if rasevsa The other member oit the hinge joint is indicated in general by the numeral 16 and the same likewise comprises a flat-sided circular plate whch is indicated bythe numeral 17 and which is secured by screws or other suitable fastening elements 18 tothe outer tace ol the respective side 7 of the section 6 of the tonneau. An opening 19 is formed centrally in the plate 17, and an opening 2O of larger diameter is formed in the side T of the tonneau section 6, the bolt 14: being fitted through the opening 19, and nuts 21 being threaded onto the said bolt and housed within the opening .in the manner best illustrate-d in Figure l of the drawings Vlhe plate 17 is formed concentric to the opening 19 with an arcuate semi-circular slot 22 which is of a width slightly greater than the diameter of the stud 15 soas to receive the said stud in the manner shown in Figures 2, 4: and 5; groove 23 is formed in the outer face oit the side 7 and is' in registration with the slot so that the stud 15, being of a length greater than the thickness of the plate 17, will nevertheless lue accommodated. lt will now be evident that the section 6 of the tonneau may bek swung torwardly upon the bolt to assume a position partly or wholly housed within the section 3 of the tonneau in which position of the section the stud 'l5 of the hinge members 9 will seat in the lower end of the slot 22 in the respective member 16, or the section 6 may be swung rearwardly so as to extend rearwardly in alignment with the section 3, as shown in Figures 1 and 2 oi" the drawings, in which relative position ot the sections, the said studs will seat in the upper ends of the respective slots and by engaging the end walls or the slot, will securely brace the sections in their relative position, and more especially the section 6, lt will also be evident that the plate comprising the members ot the hinge joint serve also as wear plates so as to prevent undue wear of the sides of the tonneau sections.

As illustrated in Figures 2 and 5 of the drawings, the sections ot the tonneau are preferably so arranged and connected that when the section 6 is in alignment with the section 3 to complete the truck body, the forward edge of its Hoor 8 will rest or abut against the rear edge ot the licor l oli' the section 3 so that the parts are additionally braced in the relation stated. j

Having thus describe the invention, what is claimed asv new is:

1.l`he combi-nation with a lined tonneau section and a section pivotally adjustable with relation thereto, the said sections having wooden floors and side walls, of means pivotally connecting the side walls and comprising circular flat relatively thin plates oit 'uniform thickness secured upon the confronting tacos of the side walls, the plates and walls having aligned central openings, a pivot element litted through the openings, one of the plates having an arcuate slot concentric to thel opening and the adjacent wall, a groove registering with Said slot, anda stud upon the other plate working inthe slot and the groove, the pivot element comprising a bolt and a nut threaded onto the end'of the bolt and housed within the opening in one of said walls, the adjacent edges of said `tloors being adapted to abut when said adjustable section is in open position;

2. The combination with a. fixed. tonneau section and an adjustable sectionot a hinge cured on the confronting faces of said side walls, said plates each having a central' aperture, and a pintle lodged in yone of said side walls and reaching through said aperture, a nut threaded on the end of said pintle and housed within an opening provided inthe other of said side walls; one of said plates having a slot runningconcentrically'with the airis of said pintle and being'ot serai-circular extension, a groove being formedl in the corresponding side walls, of the same width and extension as said slot, a stud rigidly secured in the other of said plates and adapt- A ed to engage in said slot and groove; the adjacent edges ot said lioors being vadapted to abut when said adjustable section is in open position, thereby Jforming a stop cooperating with said slots and grooves to limit the swinging of said adjustable section in one direction.

ln testimony whereof l aliiX my signature. j

BENJAMIN V. GlLMQRE. [n s] 

